It’s no secret that I’m a big fan of American Express’s Centurion Lounges (Here are my Dallas and New York LaGuardia Centurion Lounge reviews). I find the level of service and the various amenities to be a cut above even the nicest airline lounges in the USA.

As of today their most recent addition to the lounge network is now open at Houston’s George Bush Intercontinental Airport! Located in Terminal D (the main international terminal for everyone except United), the lounge retains the feel and decor of the rest of the lounges in the network, as you’ll see in the post!

All of these things are found at the best airport lounges in the world. The lounge visit is a crucial part of the travel experience for me, particularly when traveling internationally. There’s just something about having a quality meal, a few quality beverages, and a relaxing shower or massage that gets my mind right before I fly.

I get asked pretty frequently to talk about my favorite lounges in the world. I have not visited all of the great lounges out there but I’ve been to quite a few. Let’s take a look at my five favorite lounges and then I’ll tell you about some lounges I want to visit next.

It has to be weird to have a Black card from American Express these days. You don’t get that much material benefit over a Platinum card and the annual fee is $2,500, a full 5x what it costs for the Platinum card! One of the shared benefits of the Centurion Card and Platinum Card is access to the network of American Express Centurion Lounges. Located at DFW, Las Vegas, Miami, Seattle (a smaller concept), San Francisco, and soon to be Houston, these lounges are a step above the typical domestic lounge, with full buffets, premium booze, and special perks like massage treatments, wine tastings, etc. (depending on the lounge) I previously reviewed the DFW Centurion Lounge, you can check that out here. I’m currently sitting here at the Centurion Lounge in DFW and noticed some tables set up very nicely with big RESERVED signs on them. It turns out that some Centurion Card (Amex’s proper name for the Black card) members were upset that there was never any seating in the Centurion Lounge (at least in DFW, not sure about other clubs). Their solution? Tables in the lounge would be on permanent reserve for Centurion Card members. On one hand it was kind of annoying, since it was hard finding a place to sit, but on the other hand I totally get it and it’s a nice little perk for the Centurion Card members, one of the first perks they’ve received in a while from everything I’ve read. So, for… read more

Frequent flyer and world traveler Andy Luten guests you into the new American Express Centurion Lounge at LaGuardia Airport in New York City. He compares it to other Centurion Lounges and reveals whether or not we have a true gem or a total dud.

Well friends, it’s here, my latest trip report! Come along as I traverse Europe and make a quick stopover in the Middle East on my way home. Onus Man that’s a weird subject heading isn’t it? Anyway, the onus for this trip was simple: I needed to use 2 nights at any Hyatt in the world, and I needed to do it by the end of June. Now, I can hear you saying “Andy, that doesn’t mean you have to go to Europe and the Middle East just to stay at a hotel.” If that’s you, then welcome to my blog! I’ve taken trips for far more random of a reason than hotel nights, check out my Trip Reports for those stories. My target for the Hyatt nights was the Park Hyatt Vendome in Paris. It’s one of the nicest Hyatt properties in the world, definitely an “aspirational” stay. I had the nights, I could get the flights, all I needed to do was find the right dates. I always try to take advantage of federal bank holidays, as my office is closed, which means I get a free day without having to use PTO! The U.S. Memorial Day holiday was quickly approaching, so that weekend in May became my target. I eventually figured out the dates that would work at the Park Hyatt, secured those dates, then started looking at flights. I didn’t just want to go to Paris. You guys know me by now, I want it to be… read more

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